


Mixed Emotions

by orphan_account



Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF, Valdaya
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 13:04:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3693347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Val and Janel wait to hear if they have been crowned DWTS’s newest champions, Zendaya comes to terms with her mixed feelings on the subject.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mixed Emotions

**Author's Note:**

> This is fiction, not reality.

_Kellie and Derek…Zendaya and Val…The winners and new champions of_ Dancing with the Stars  _are…Kellie and Derek!_

_On this ninth week of competition, the couple with the lowest combined total of judges’ votes and viewer votes, therefore leaving right now is…Elizabeth and Val._

_One this eighth week of competition, the couple leaving right now is…Danica and Val._

For the past three seasons, including theirs, she had heard his name tied to a loss.  She had been there, in person, to witness each of them.  She desperately hoped that this time would be different. 

Val stood on the right side of the ballroom, one hand resting on Janel’s hip while they waited for the final results.  Although he looked calm and composed, Zendaya could tell by his twisted lips that he was nervous. 

Honestly, she was nervous for him.  She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her hands shaking slightly in her lap.  Someone’s hand reached over and took one of hers, squeezing tightly.  She looked over to Alex, who was beside her and looking just as anxious as she felt.  Maks, Teddy, Nicole, Grandma Chmerkovskiy, Mama and Papa Chmerkovskiy, and her parents sat around them as well.  

“You okay, Queen Z?” Alex asked. 

“Yeah, I’m just…”  Her words faded into silence.  What was she, exactly?  Beyond happy that Val and Janel had made it to the finals.  He consistently gave his celebrity partners every part of himself, putting his absolute best into them in order to make them as successful as possible.  He deserved to win this, even if all it came with was a plastic trophy and a little bit of recognition. 

Yet at the same time, Zendaya felt that it was a little bittersweet to sit and watch him in the same position that they had been in.  They had worked so hard for their own win, Zendaya even taking time away from her album and limiting the amount of meetings and premieres she attended.  They had gotten the first tens and first perfect score of the season, earning Val the first thirty that he had ever received in the process.  They had accomplished so much, yet the one thing she had been unable to get for him was the mirrorball.  She knew that it did not matter to him, that he considered  _her_ his mirrorball from season sixteen, but it did not stop the disappointment from welling up within her and threatening to choke her. 

“It was us standing there once,” Zendaya said quietly.  The conversations vying for dominance in the crowd around her helped disguise her words, but she did not want to take the chance of being overheard.  She was talking to Alex, not the press.  He seemed to understand, because he lowered his head to hear her better. 

“When I was standing there during the finale, more than anything, I wanted to win _for_   _him._ And I couldn’t.”  Alex opened his mouth to interrupt her, but she talked right over him.  “People always ask me if I would do  _Dancing with the Stars_  again if I was asked back.  It’s stressful and hard and takes over your entire life, but despite that…I would do it again in a second if he asked.  I would do it for him, because he’s Val and I would do anything to have another chance to win that for him.”

“Babe…”

“And I know that it’s stupid, but a part of me is afraid to watch him win right now…because if he does, then she was able to give him the one thing that I wasn’t.  She’ll always be the one that got him all the way.  And what does that mean for me and my partnership with him?”

Alex opened his mouth, probably to tell her that it didn’t matter if Val won with Janel, that it in no way diminished their partnership or the relationship that they had developed since, but the show came back from commercial and the studio audience was told to be quiet. 

“Welcome back to our finale!” Tom said.  “It’s been an amazing season, but now it’s time to name our new champions.”

“We have combined the judges’ scores from last night and tonight with the viewer’s votes from last night and we now have the final results,” Erin continued. 

The lighting changed, turning red in order to add drama to the scene as the crowd got to its feet and started yelling out their support to their favorite couple. 

“Alfonso and Whitney…Janel and Val…the winners and new champions of _Dancing with the Stars_  are…”  

It was like she was transported back to that night, when she had stood up there with him and known, just by looking at his face, that he did not think that they had won.  The voting issue on the website had most likely limited their chances and he had been beyond furious when they had informed the contestants about throwing out all of the votes submitted there “in order to be fair.”  They had gone backstage and gotten their instant jive music, retreating to their curtained-off practice room before he had sworn loudly in Russian. 

“It doesn’t matter,” she had told him. 

“Doesn’t matter?” he had asked, swinging around to face her.  “They just handed the trophy to Kellie and Derek!”  They had been alone, no camera, no parents, so she had walked up to him and laced her fingers with his. 

“We don’t know that for sure.”  He gave her a look that asked if she was serious.  “And even if they did, it doesn’t matter.  We came here to dance for the sake of dancing, for bringing the best possible performances to the ballroom floor.”  His shoulders slumped, his head dropping so that he was looking down at the floor.  “And we  _did_  that.  Win or lose, we can be proud of what we did here.” 

But when Val’s suspicions had proved correct, she had been unable to control her emotions.  She had believed what she told Val, but losing still stung.  As soon as she was able, she had hidden herself away backstage beneath a stairwell and cried.  Val had come and found her then, simply taking her in his arms and holding her. 

“It doesn’t matter,” he had murmured.  “We’ve got each other and that’s what’s really important.”

Remembering how tightly he had held her for those few minutes, only releasing her when Kazembe and Claire had come to comfort her, Zendaya looked across the ballroom to where he stood now with Janel.  He had been just as upset as her, yet he had put his own unhappiness behind him in order to console her.  That was just the kind of man he was. 

She wanted him to win.  She wanted anything except for him to go through that painful disappointment again.  What they had was special and nothing, not a mirrorball or a new celebrity partner, would ever change that.    

“Janel and Val!”  Fireworks rained down from ceiling as the lights came back on.  Janel reached for Val and pulled him into a hug, the smiles on their faces a million miles wide.  But over Janel’s head, Val made eye contact with Zendaya.  He swallowed hard, staring at her before pulling his attention away and concentrating on his partner and Tom’s congratulations. 

Later, after the interviews had been done and the pictures taken, the celebrities and pros were allowed to go back to their trailers and change in preparation for their flight to New York.  Zendaya stood talking with the family, reminiscing about Maks’ own win a season ago and exclaiming how wonderful it was that the Chmerkovskiy brothers had back-to-back wins.  Alex had been keeping a close eye on her, never leaving her side. 

“Hey, can I steal her for a minute?”  Zendaya turned and came face to face with Val.  He still wore the same dark clothing that he had danced his final performance in.  Reaching towards her, he took her hand in his before even receiving an answer. 

“Of course,” Alex said, unwinding his hand from around her waist.  Val pulled her away from his family, leading her, whether intentionally or not, back to the same stairwell that they had claimed at the end of season sixteen.  He tugged her towards him, pulling her into his arms. 

“Congratulations,” Zendaya said, hugging him tightly. 

“You know this doesn’t change anything, right?”

“What do you mean?” 

“It doesn’t change anything with us.” 

“Well technically Janel will be considered your best partner,” Zendaya joked.  “But besides that–

“She’ll be considered my best partner according to  _viewer votes_ on a  _reality TV show,_ not according to a real ballroom competition or my own opinion, as a professional dancer,” he said, completely serious.  He pulled back just far enough that he could look into her eyes, their faces mere inches apart. 

“The mirrorball is literally just a piece of plastic; the relationship that I have with you is so much more than that.  I’ve had pretty good partnerships each season, and I’ve had a lot of fun with each of my celebrities, but you will always be the one that stands out.  I’ve never been so connected to someone when I dance, and that includes other professionals.  You challenged me as a dancer and were able to inspire some of my best and most original choreography.  You will always be the one that brought me back to life, allowed me to dream again, and enabled me to find myself.  I’ve built great friendships with a lot of my other partners, but there is only one you.” 

Zendaya could not help that a tear slipped from her eye and landed on her cheek.  Val reached up and cupped her face with his hands, gently wiping it away with his thumb.  He had corroborated the conclusion that she had recently come to, and even though she had believed it, hearing it from him drove it home for her.  She was in this for the long haul and so was he. 

“You are not replaceable.”  He paused, the emotions shining from his emerald eyes showing absolute sincerity.  “I love you.” 

Without thinking of the potential people milling around in the surrounding hallway, she leaned forward and kissed him.  He immediately kissed her back, keeping his hands on her cheeks as he gently pressed his lips against hers.  Her arms found their way around his back, her fingers balling up a section of cloth from his shirt.  Breaking the kiss to breathe, Zendaya leaned her forehead against his. 

“I love you too, so much.  And I am so proud of you.”

“Thank you, baby.”

There was nothing more to say.  


End file.
